FortisBC has no excuse to pollute
March 23, 2026
Suzanne Senger
FortisBC has failed to comply with their permit since as early as November 2024, by dumping pollution loaded with heavy metals into the fragile Átl’ḵa7tsem / Howe Sound ecosystem as it constructs a 9 km tunnel from Squamish to Woodfibre LNG.
Instead of fixing the problem, FortisBC is asking for permission to pollute even more.
FortisBC proposes to amend the current permit to:
- Increase discharge by over four times (from 1,500 m³/day to 6,815 m³/day);
- Discharge copper at levels ~18 times higher than BC Water Quality Guidelines;
- Discharge aluminum at levels ~62 times higher than BC Water Quality Guidelines;
Combined, that would allow FortisBC to pollute ~72 times more copper and ~248 times more aluminum into Howe Sound than is currently permitted.
High levels of aluminum and copper are both toxic to aquatic life—including algae, glass sponges, crustaceans, fish, and marine mammals.
No excuse for FortisBC to pollute
According to our experts, it is technically feasible to treat copper and aluminum to meet BC water quality guidelines for both freshwater and marine environments, if the water treatment plant is designed and operated appropriately by an experienced operator.
However, the treatment method chosen by FortisBC is clearly inadequate. The proof? FortisBC has failed to meet the permit on an almost weekly basis for over 16 months.
FortisBC promised to meet BC's water quality guidelines, and to halt discharge if they didn't.
But stopping the excessive water flows and upgrading the water treatment plant would slow construction of the tunnel and increase costs.
With no consequences from the regulator other than a single warning letter issued 14 months after the pollution started, FortisBC keeps polluting, unchecked.
It's not too late to send a letter
Tell Ministers and regulators to reject FortisBC's permit amendment and hold them accountable for this uncontrolled water pollution that is exceeding the original permit conditions.
FortisBC needs to stop work on the tunnel until they upgrade the water treatment system to meet water quality guidelines.
SEND A LETTER NOW!Átl’ḵa7tsem / Howe Sound already paid the price once. We cannot let it happen again.
Not on our watch.
Suzanne Senger
Executive Director
Sunshine Coast Conservation Association
in partnership with My Sea to Sky
P.S. Our handy letter writing tool will send a letter to key Ministers, BC Energy Regulator, FortisBC, your MP, and your MLA. But you can also submit a comment on your own to Waste.Management@bc-er.ca and egp@fortisbc.com until a decision is made. FortisBC's application to amend the permit can be accessed here. Weekly water quality testing results can be found here.
My Sea to Sky is incredibly proud and grateful to say that we rely on the My Sea to Sky community for small donations that provide the majority of our funding. Since our launch in 2014, we have been funded through personal savings, family and friends; and powered by the passion of our volunteers. Your generous contribution will help us to run our critical campaigns to defend, protect, and restore Átl’ḵa7tsem / Howe Sound. Can you chip in?